Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-30
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
The growth of online shopping will one day lead to all shops in towns and cities closing.
Do you agree or disagree?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Student answer (Band 5.5)
Nowadays, Online shopping is a trend among the young generation. Most of the shops in towns and cities are closed because of online shopping. I also agree with this statement because online shopping is more convenient and cheaper.
The first and foremost reason is that online shopping is more convenient and accessible for all people. To explain it more, online shopping allows people to shop anywhere and anytime. Moreover, this saves time and travel expenses. Even if you are not in the city, you can buy the product and schedule the delivery date, and on that day you receive your parcel at your home. So people prefer online shopping more than offline shopping, and that's the reason shops in towns and cities will be closed in future.
Another reason is that online shopping is cheaper and provides more offers. In online shopping, we get more discounts on the product than in offline shopping. It also provides home delivery services, which helps children and senior people to shop anytime. Online shopping also gives the cash on delivery service, not only the pay online option. On special occasions or festivals, offline shopping gives only 25or 30 per cent discount, but in online shopping it goes to 75 per cent. From my perspective, I think this is also the main reason to close the shops in future.
To summarise, online shopping provides more services and makes shopping easier than offline shopping. According to me, one day online shopping will lead to all the shops in towns and cities closing.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position in favor of the statement. However, the development is somewhat limited. While you provide reasons such as convenience and cost, the arguments are repetitive and lack depth. For instance, the claim that 'most shops are closed' is a generalization that is not supported by real-world evidence. To reach a higher band, you should provide more nuanced examples, perhaps acknowledging that some physical stores (like boutiques or experience-based shops) may survive, rather than simply repeating that everything will close. The response is a bit simplistic in its approach to a complex socio-economic issue.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. You use basic cohesive devices like 'The first and foremost reason', 'Moreover', and 'To summarise' to link your ideas. However, the flow is sometimes mechanical, and the transition between sentences can feel repetitive. The referencing is generally clear, but the overall structure lacks the sophisticated progression of ideas required for a higher band. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph builds upon the previous one rather than restating the same point would improve your score.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
Your vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite basic. You rely on common phrases like 'online shopping', 'cheaper', and 'convenient'. While these are accurate, they do not demonstrate the range of vocabulary expected at higher levels. There are some minor errors in word choice, such as 'According to me' (a more natural phrasing would be 'In my opinion'). To improve, try to incorporate more topic-specific vocabulary related to retail, consumer behavior, and economic trends, and avoid repeating the same words throughout the essay.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'Most of the shops in towns and cities are closed' (which should be 'are closing' or 'will close' based on the context) and '25or 30 per cent' (spacing error). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some awkward phrasings that hinder the natural flow of the text. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles, and try to incorporate a wider variety of complex sentence structures with greater accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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